Courageous Humans

09/07/2017

Why Scotland Is Still at the Forefront of Innovation
Scotland is famed as being a land of innovation. Why so many great discoveries and inventions have come out of a place with barely 6 million inhabitants has been the subject of much fevered debate. Some put it down to the poor weather, keeping Scots holed up in doors solving the rest of the world’s problems. Whatever way you look at it, there’s no arguing that Scotland punches well above its weight in terms of invention and discovery.

Penicillin, pneumatic tyres, the decimal point, wire rope, hypodermic needles, and much, much more have started life in Caledonia. The tradition seems to be showing no signs of slowing, as 21st Century Scotland remains at the centre of some of the most exciting businesses in the world. Here’s a few who are at the very cutting edge.

Skyscanner

This Edinburgh-based travel company was started by a group of colleagues who were struggling to find the best deal in flights from competing airlines. Today the platform hosts tens of millions of users and compares many flight deals across the world. Its brilliance is vested in its simplicity. Want to fly somewhere? Skyscanner will show you the cheapest way to get there. In 2016, Skyscanner was sold to a Chinese travel firm for a cool £1.4 billion.

Touch Bionics

Many would argue that Nobel Prize winning Sir Alexander Fleming put Scots on the map as innovators in medicine. While that claim is debatable, there’s no denying that the torch has been taken up by companies like Touch Bionics. The Livingston based producers of artificial and bionic limbs was originally based in the NHS, but have become a standalone venture. Their products are life changing for those need them as they strive to improve the lives of those who require replacement limbs.

Rockstar North

The world of computer gaming has grown dramatically in the last few decades thanks to advancements in technology. One Scottish game producer that has been at the very edge of this curve is Rockstar North. Most famous for creating the Grand Theft Auto franchise, this game publisher is regarded as a hallmark in quality and pushing the envelope in what gamers look for. One of their latest instalments, 2015’s GTA V, has sold 80 million copies worldwide and is one the most highly regarded computer games of all time.

Weir Group

Glasgow and the West of Scotland has always carried a proud engineering tradition thanks to the ship building that the Clyde was once famous for. Today, the Weir Group are at the front of the pack in providing engineering solutions to projects across the world. Whether it’s providing Italian produced Gabbioneta pumps to industrial projects or developing the latest in flow control, the Weir Group holds a reputation of providing the best tools for the job.

Mashable

The world of digital media is on that is fast moving. Thanks to the likes of Twitter we can see the rise and fall of companies and figures over the course of a single day. Becoming a well-established brand in this field is a notoriously difficult thing to achieve. Mashable has managed to achieve dominance in this world for over a decade, thanks to its ability to move with the times. The site was started by Aberdeen University student Pete Cashmore in 2005, but has grown to be a globally recognised blog with an NYC headquarters and over 3 million Facebook fans.

As you can see, Scotland is still the land of the inventor and the home of the world’s next big things. We can hope to see Scotland continuing to be leading the charge, as long as the weather stays rainy.

08/27/2017

Mazda Looking to Make Diesel Engines 10% of CX-5 Sales

Diesel engines and vehicles have been around for quite some time, but since the last 50 years or so, the popularity of the diesel motor has died out.



Though, there have been some resurgences of the diesel motor such as Volkswagen, and of course Chevy, Ford, and Dodge in their trucks. The popularity didn’t quite stick as much as carmakers were hoping.



However, Mazda has developed as new sleek, fuel efficient vehicle they are hoping to help pick up diesel vehicle sales, all the way up to 10 percent of sales.



It may not seem like much, but 10 percent is actually a lot, but they have been smart enough to come up with a great vehicle to try and entice people to trying out the diesel motor once again and avoid the scares that came along with the Volkswagen diesel engine in their smaller sedans.



The Mazda CX-5 is looking to drop later this year with a revolutionary diesel motor, that they are hoping will make up 10% of their sales in the United States.



Masahiro Moro, Mazda’s CEO, is hoping for 10 percent of sales with this new CX-5, and if they find success he hopes to move the diesel motor into more of their vehicles depending on the success of this initial trial vehicle to be sold in the US soon.



The CX-5 has been sold outside of the US since 2012, but Moro is looking to move it into the US to see how sales will be, though he is projecting a good turnaround for the vehicle.



“CX-5 will be a very good indicator for us to understand where we have the opportunity and what kind of people come to buy those new technologies,” Moro said of the diesel version of the crossover.



Hoping to bring the diesel motor into more of their vehicles as another option for picky buyers looking for a stronger motor, Moro is pleased with the current lineup he plans to drop later this year.



Moro is not worried about any type of emissions issue with their release of the CX-5, and hopes that consumers will try it out before dismissing the diesel engine that is storming the countries in which is has been available since 2012.

08/23/2017

NFL Owners Expected to Change a Few League Rules

It seems that every year in football there are new rules, regulations, and standards put in place. Whether these are positive or negative are yet to be seen, but at the meeting coming up soon with the owners of the NFL, it is expected for a few new rules to be put in place that could potentially benefits the teams in a very positive way this coming season.



Every season there are players fighting injuries, whether these happened during the games or practice, someone is always out on Injury Reserve. The current rule concerning injury reserve allowed for a team to remove one player from injury reserve midway through the season. Now the kicker is that the team did not have to identify what palyer was being pulled from injury reserve.



This is good and bad, they could be pulling their star player or a no name guy, so the other teams would never know, bad for them, but good for the injury reserve removal with the element of surprise.



Though the injury reserve ruling has been messed with, altered, and changed for the past few years, this new rule seems like it will be sticking fast for at least a little while without alteration.



The new rule to be proposed allows for a player to still be removed from Injury reserve midway through the season, but always, they plan to open a second slot that is to be deemed short term injury reserve that will allow for a second player to be moved back onto the normal roster.



In addition to this new injury reserve spot being opened up, they plan to consider another new rule concerning overtime periods.



This new rule will allow for shortened overtime periods, going from the current standard of an extra 15 minutes of overtime, would be shortened for a 10 minute overtime period.



With this rule, it is not certain that it will pass through and be enacted, the likelihood is uncertain. This same shortened overtime concept was brought up to the NFL owners in March, but it was not passed.



So looking forward, there is not an overwhelming likelihood of it passing, but there is the potential that they will re-examine it and potentially come to a new decision concerning the overtime periods and shortening them the 5 minutes.

08/19/2017

NEWS Fact or Fiction: Enormous Unidentified Creature Discovered
Time and again, pictures, ‘evidence’, and personal accounts with the supernatural and otherworldly pop up. More often than not, these stories can easily and quickly be discredited with just a bit of research.



But what happens, when all of the evidence points to one outcome, one that might be a bit hard to swallow for some people? Any discerning person will come up with some ‘logical’ reason or explanation to explain away the evidence, but in this case, that is not a possibility; and to be quite honest, I’m exceptionally excited about it!



Indonesia is known for coming up with a beautiful culture, and quite a few odd myths unique to the area. But recently, a large creature washed up on the shore of one of the outer lying islands, and it cannot not be explained at all.



The creature comes in at a massive 49 feet, just off the coast of Seram Island, a local walked up on the large mass of translucent material and was surprised to find it was some type of animal. The witness initially thought the mass to be a boat that had been decimated by the tides, and collided with the shore.



What a surprise for him! Walked up to the mass and saw bones, and the obvious bone structure of an animal.



Later on, after discovery, many marine biologists agreed that the creature was in fact an animal, and most similar to a baleen whale. They determined this by the structure of the bone palate of the mouth, and a few other distinguishing features.



The first wave of people to see the creature initially thought the creature to be a giant squid, simply because the animal has oddly textured skin, and is transluscent, similar to a giant squid (in some cases). However, giant squids are invertebrates, and the animal that was discovered on the shore had a clear and obvious bone structure that could be seen with the naked eye.



A lot of people want to believe that it is some type of Kraken or even an alien! But that is all up in the air at this point, it all depends on what you choose to believe. I find myself among the latter, there are far too many possibilities when it comes to the deep sea that we have not yet traversed.

08/15/2017

Kaladesh: Newest Magic the Gathering Edition
MTG consistently hitting a homerun with each subsequent release of new editions of playing cards, continued with their tradition of excellence with the Kaladesh expansion pack.



Kaladesh boasts a primarily Planeswalker deck the booster pack is filled with great new cards to add to your deck to upgrade your action play.



The booster (or Bundle) pack comes with 264 cards: 15 basic lands, 101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, and 15 mythic rares, as always premium editions of all cards are spaced throughout the pack.

IMPORTANT CARDS TO NOTE

Kaladesh brings to the table a new type of card known as Vehicle artifact subtypes. Along with the Aetherborn, Servo, and Pilot creature types, along with Dovin and Saheeli Planeswalker subtypes.



All in all, this 72nd edition of this Magic the Gathering release is a great way to help bulk up your decks, whether you run Planeswalker decks or not.



A lot of the rare cards are exceptional to use in a black and white deck to really pump up your damage dealing cards.



Emrakul, the Promised End from Eldritch Moon and Reflector Mage from Oath of the Gatewatch were released in January of this year to help pump up the variety of standard deck sets. Along with the release of Smuggler’s Copter, which was a pretty awesome card, allowing for quick attacks at round 3, though all three were all banned for their superior attack features.

KALADESH CARD CYCLES

Kaladesh comes equipped with six cycles, a few of which helped to complete sets started in previous edition releases.



Gearhulks: Five artifacts (mythic colored) with MM in their mana cost with an Enter battlefield effect along with a keyword ability.

Puzzleknots: Five common cards (colorless) each has an Enter battlefield effect. Costs 2 to use, the Enter battlefield effect can be repeated by spending 2M or 1M depending on knot and sacrificing it.

Thriving Creatures: Five common creatures that enter with two energy counters with the option to pay two energy counters to get a +1/+1 counter.

Enemy-Colored Fast Lands: A new set of enemy color taplands which finished the Scars of Mirrodin cycle.

Activated Artifact Creatures: Five common artifact cards that boast an activated ability that costs one colored mana that gives them a color-aligned keyword power.

Two-Colored Draft Archetypes: Ten uncommon cards with a two-colored draft archetype.

08/12/2017

Video Game Streaming: A New Wave of Money Makers
It seems these days that you can make money doing practically anything. Drive an Uber, freelance write/design, even be a mystery shopper. And quite frankly, a lot of people are finding great success and making plenty of money to sustain themselves just from working in their own home.



The Internet, what a wonderful invention.



But, how can you make a few extra bucks every month, and also do something that you love?



Easy! Become a video game streamer and tester. Sounds too good to be true, right?



Well, it’s certainly a fact that you can supplement your income by streaming live and testing out new games whether these be on PC, smartphone, and a regular console that connects to the interwebs.



A FEW TRICKS OF THE TRADE

It may come as a surprise that becoming a successful video game streamer is not all that hard to accomplish.



First, on whatever platform you are gaming on, make sure that your user/gamer moniker is something catchy and easy to remember.



Doing this will allow people to find you, and help word of mouth spread in the gaming world so help drive people to your streaming channel, pumping up your viewer numbers and you wallet.



If you use Twitch as your primary streaming platform, when you get up to around the 500 view mark, you can apply to be a Twitch partner, absolutely free. Doing this will help to broadcast your channel, along with helping to pad your pocket with more money.



Twitch, also offers a newer feature that allows viewers to tip you. They call it Cheering, this is a great option, so you figure, if you have an average view of 500 people, and half of them tip you a buck, you’re already pulling in 250 bucks!



At this point, once you become a Twitcher partner, you can expect to get about $250 per 100 subscribers you have. That’s definitely worth it, especially to stay home and game all day!



However, one of the most important things you can do is set up a Youtube channel and upload 10-15 minute clips of whatever game you are playing at the moment.



Doing this will help people get acquainted with you, your gaming style, and be much more inclined to subscribe to your Twitch account.



All in all, making extra money playing video games can easily be done if you follow these tips and tricks!

08/10/2017

Retro Gaming Systems Making a Comeback

More and more often lately, I have been seeing people flooding to stores like 2nd & Charles, Ebay, and Amazon in an attempt to find older gaming systems.



With the notion that a new retro version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System release, the desire to grab up the vintage systems has become a pandemic.



Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for people getting into these gaming systems because they were the beginning of what would eventually become amazing systems like PlayStation and Xbox. I just hope that these people who are snagging them up realize their true worth and value.

FINDING YOUR FAVORITE GAMES

I am among the elite group of people searching for unique and vintage games anywhere from Ebay, Amazon, and every single flea market and garage sale I can find.



Though, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to find the games you want without having to pay an arm and a leg to get your hands on them. Especially now with everyone and their mother searching every avenue and outlet available.



Yeah, you head to any of the online sale stores, if you want to pay well over $100 for some of your favorite games. Some are evening coming in at a whopping price of $1000 depending on game and gaming system specifications.



Another thing to keep in mind is that games that are coming unopened in original packaging, along with games in original boxes will always be exceptionally more expensive than one that is free standing, unboxed.



One great trick you can use when you are using an online site for purchashing your games is to go for an unboxed option. You will save a great deal of money, but make sure to ask the seller if the games works, and also, if they accept returns. This will save you the hassle of dealing with a no-return seller, if the game doesn’t work properly, just send it back and explain the issue.



A little tip also, a lot of the people selling these older games online no longer have the gaming system, so often times, they won’t know if the game is functioning properly, so ask if they have personally tested it.



But throughout the years, one of the best tips and tricks I have used to buying up these older games has been to go to garage sales, and flea markets. You can find tons of little shops that have the older game cartridges just laying around collecting dust.

08/08/2017

Ford Cutting Workers 10 Percent in Asia and North America
Cutting costs and looking to make more money, Ford aims to cut 10 percent of their workforce in North America and Asia.



The workers to be cut are salaried workers who have been there for quite some time, including managers, and other non-production based jobs.



At first, it seemed like a complete catastrophe, laying off so many people at once, but Ford has updated the fact that the 10 percent is coming from a group of 15,000 employees. Though this is still a great deal of people, those who are to be cut have been offered generous compensation for leaving the company.



Though, the group of people to be cut is still high, Ford believes that the people will volunteer to be let go, once they consider the compensation plan they have put in place along with the incentive program that will aid Ford in downsizing their workforce in North America and Asia.



Ford has stated that they are looking to downsize to cut costs by about $3 billion dollars due to a constant decline of car sales over the past several years.



The workforce cuts are supposed to be completed by September of this year through strictly voluntary means.



Though Ford’s owner Mark Fields claims is was not political, they scrapped their plans to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico, and instead added 700 jobs in Michigan and multiple others in various plants throughout the country.



As an initiative to help stimulate economy, along with the fact that Mark Fields states that small car sales have been exceedingly slow. The plant in Mexico would have cost more money than they would have profited.



It is important to note that the positions that are looking to be cut back are all salaried positions that are not directly involved in production, which also includes managers.



Hourly positions will not be impacted by this workforce reduction, but it is still worrisome for most because Fields has been quoted as saying he is expecting the small car sales market to continue to decline.



Hoping to avoid more cutbacks, layoffs, and the ilk, Fields is taking preemptive measures to avoid that type of crisis and preserve as many workers as possible.

08/05/2017

08/03/2017

NASCAR Heat 2 Driver Will Be Picked During All-Star Race
A new NASCAR video game will be hitting the shelves, all they’re waiting for is a cover driver to put on the packaging.



It was announced at the 2016 All-Star Race that Dusenberry Martin Racing, now 704 Games, along with Monster Games, would be bringing a revolutionary NASCAR racing game to new consoles such as PS4 and XBox One, entitled NASCAR Heat Evolution.



At this All-Star race, the top finisher would be chosen as the new cover driver for the game, and a lucky Carl Edwards won with a fourth-place finish.



Received well, 704 Games is looking to come out with their next installment entitled NASCAR Heat 2, and they are looking for another new cover driver for the game, making use of the All-Star Race to help them pick the winner!



Though, the choice is only between four qualified drivers: Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth or Martin Truex Jr. These four are the only qualified options because they are Toyota drivers, which is part of a long standing deal the game makers have with Toyota.



Two of the drivers will be featured in a head to head battle in the second stage of the All-Star Race to decide the cover of the game. A vote to select which driver you would like to see battle it out for the cover is currently open and can be found by clicking here.



Some improvements to the gaming interface are expected, especially in the career mode gameplay option.



But more than anything, the game is being highly anticipated due to the outstanding success of its predecessor: NASCAR Heat Evolution. The second game: NASCAR Heat 2 is being long awaited and gaming stores are taking pre-orders.



Though NASCAR Heat Evolution was a great success, there were issues with the online gaming options that feel flat compared to other racing games. The game makers are looking to update this feature to encourage more people to use the online gaming option; they are beefing it up and giving it a nicer and newer interface look that is sure to wow!



The All-Star Race is coming up shortly, and we will see who the new cover driver is of this awesome new NASCAR game coming out.

07/31/2017

A New Wave of Injuries Hitting the Hospital

With all of the challenges that have been created with the help of the internet, Facebook, and Youtube, (it will really never stop) the next one has hit the fan, and it’s create quite an uproar.

All of the hipsters, trend followers, and of course, vegans, are buying up avocados like they are going out of style.

BUT, HOW CAN THIS LEAD TO AN INJURY, YOU MIGHT ASK.

Well, Avocado Hand is a new wave of injury that keeps rearing it’s head over and over again in hospitals and doctor’s offices across the country.

People who have felt the pain of stabbing themselves through an avocado are posting their ‘battle scars’ on the internet with the hashtag and .

I don’t know about you, but I find it completely funny, to say the least. I feel bad that they had to get stitches, but some of the comments on these pictures are pure comedy gold.

The injuries and reports have become so widely spread across the country that Doctors are actually putting out warnings to people who eat avocados to be cautious while cutting them and removing the pit to avoid this epidemic that has hit the nation.

A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO AVOCADO HAND

Now it probably won’t be much of a surprise that avocado hand, while sweeping the nation, there are a few people looking to cash in on the unfortunate mishaps people are encountering.

Some people are suggesting a glove like garment to wear while slicing, dicing, and pitting your avocado to avoid injury. Made from a tough material to avoid stabbing through and cutting yourself.

While others are simply saying, be more careful while you are preparing your food, especially with a sharp knife, though a dull knife will do more damage in the long run with healing. The most widely circulated solution, mostly coming from doctor’s and the like.

Another group of people are saying to simply stop eating avocados altogether. However, these people have clearly never tried guac, so they don’t know how impossible it would be to avoid the magical green vegetation.

No matter how you choose to deal with this epidemic, being aware of it is the first step to avoiding an injury of your own.